As far as im concerned what makes a good game is a good story line. You could have the greatest graphics, battle system, and sound effects but with out a good story line it falls apart and doesnt become a great game. With out a great story line I think the game isnt worth playing.

a great story that you can really get into but a good battle system really or else its so hard to continue on with the story ex: dothack series.. ugh.

but sometimes u dont really need a story if the games just plain olde fun, gta 3 for example u can just run around all day killing numerous people without a care in the world
yea i should change my avatar its make me have mini anime seizures..

It depends on the genre of the game. A good story line, I agree, Is very important for Adventure games, RPGs and the like. But a good example of a game with a weird storyline is Katamari Damacy. They kinda pushed it, making me raise the eyebrow and all... but after playing the game, I let it go. It was hilarious. :D

So for me, regardless of the genre, the most important element is gameplay. If you don't have something that makes you want to play it, the game is pointless, even if it does have a brilliant storyline or plot.

Games all come down one primal thing - gameplay. I play a lot of old games, and not out of nostalgia value either. They're genuinely good games that withstand the test of time. Space Invaders is still a fun game. It doesn't have a story, good graphics or a lot of the things being discussed in this thread.

Now things like story, graphics, art style... those are all nice, but they can rarely make up for bad gameplay. A good storyline can go a long ways though. Xenogears is a lousy game but it has such an epic story it's worth going throught the game for.

Every once in a while - though not often - all these elements fall into place and you have a truly epic game.

In my opinion, a game is good when it can make me forget whatever I was thinking before I started playing. I play games to take a break from reality and if a game can replace my previous thoughts with mindless (well..not always mindless) fun, then I consider it good.

Some features in games that always caught and kept my attention:
+Storyline
+Freedom
+Character Development (not leveling up, but development relative to the story...like how much I love/hate/care for a character)
+Graphics
+Mindless, uncensored violence

gotta be the battle system. cuz there are a lot of good stories out there for RPGs, but the problem is the fact that you can't stick to a game if ur not satisfied with it's battle system. for me, i prefer those with a cooperative battle system huh? having fun with another person is a good experience in a game.

Everything.
Good battle system that fits the players needs and wants.
Good storyline to pull the player into playing the game more and telling his/her friends about it.
Good graphics/sound effects to add the last touches to a great game.